Basically it started when two guys were out fishing and one said hey, I have an idea (I am hoping beers and a bet were involved because so many face smashingly great ideas, in running or otherwise, start that way and something this awesome deserves a back story like that). You would have to ask Scott or Andy for the real truth. From there, Scott Schwartz and Andy Pollock have put together an event that highlights the best of Western Nebraska. You can read about my 2009 experience for an race report I wrote for NDORFNZ.com back in June of that year below, just click on read more. . . As if that piece of literary genius was not enough to get you psyched out of your short shorts, there are some photos as well.
06-15-2009 – Sandhills Marathon By Brian Wandzilak w/ approval from Tom Lewis
Cows are surprisingly swift beasts. How we came to know this is actually a pretty good story.
The alarm went off at 4:15 am. The folks at the Holiday Inn Express had been kind enough to start the breakfast early for those of us staying there. Only marathoners could be chipper that early in the morning. I met with Tom Volk, Tom Lewis, and a guy nicknamed Hoss and we loaded up a truck, port a potties in tow, and headed down the starting area.
Some places are described as being in the middle of nowhere. Well the starting line was the middle of nowhere. About 10 miles south of Merritt Reservoir, the beginning of the Sandhills Marathon was located at the west end of Brownlee Road. This is actually on most state maps of Nebraska. It is the only road that goes through this area. Mostly flat, with a few rolling hills around the 10-mile mark. This course wanders just enough you don’t get bored, or get a view of what is ahead of you.
With a true shotgun start from a local rancher, and former Sioux Falls runner, named Jason, off we went. The more morning was absolutely perfect. Mid 40s, sunny, fog was around, slight breeze for a headwind, you could not have asked for any better.
Most marathons have stretches of the race where there are very few spectators. Well, with the exception of volunteers and a handful of ranchers, there was nobody watching. I don’t mean that as hyperbole, there was literally no one. The only fans we had were a few herds of cattle. Being unaccustomed to people on foot (which to a cow is apparently vastly different than people on horseback), an entire herd would take off running. But they wouldn’t run away. They would run parallel to you. They would pause look at you, think WTF (you could see it on their faces), then keep running. I was averaging right around 7:00/mile and these guys were keeping up. It was unreal, they would go and go. Since the ranches out there go for miles, we had bovine pacers for one or more miles.
So besides the cows and volunteers, how do you occupy yourself for hours. You could look at your watch constantly, you could look for out for carcasses of small animals, watch for rattlesnakes that are known to sun themselves on the road. All of these are options. But, the beauty of this event is the beauty of the course. You run through an area that is crossed by one road and that is the one you are on. There are miles of ranch land to look at, the solitude could be overwhelming, if it wasn’t so darn pretty. Of course the silence was broken by an aid station every 2-3 miles that was manned by the children of a participant, and the cheered loudly.
After miles of turning roads and fields, after a quick jaunt into the unincorporated town of Brownlee, you come into the finishing miles. Like any marathon these hurt. And so help me the last three were all uphill, despite what the race organizers said. Post race was filled hanging out by the side of a country road in the middle of the Sandhills, drinking (beer, water, Gatorade, whatever), cheering runners in and socializing. All the goods things associated with a running event.
This is an event that every runner in Nebraska should do. However, it comes up with a few warnings. If you like crowds to keep you going, do not do this run. If you want a really fast time, do not do this. Otherwise, any Nebraskan should get out to this. Andy Pollock and Scott Schwartz do a great job as race directors. They should be given mad props for thinking this up and following through. To anyone who asks, it is a great running experience.
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